as in detectives
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
the popular TV sleuth lives a much more action-packed life than do his real-world counterparts
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Recent Examples of sleuths
Season 5, which saw our sleuths unraveling the mystery of doorman Lester (Teddy Coluca), was the show's most star-studded yet, with appearances by Renée Zellweger, Richard Kind, and Dianne Wiest, among others.
—
Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
The Pentagon in May made public large swaths of UFO files with very little context, leaving curious sleuths to piece together their own interpretations.
—Krysta Fauria, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Unfortunately for would-be sleuths, the former flames were never very vocal about their relationship on social media.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 9 June 2026
How online sleuths impact reality TV The open secret of reality TV is that the producers control the narrative.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 1 June 2026
Last year, there were a few, most notably when online sleuths uncovered past racist clips and posts from two of the Islanders (they were both ultimately kicked off the show mid-season following fan backlash).
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026
Unsurprisingly, online sleuths had some thoughts.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 1 June 2026
That story appears in fragments across the album; sleuths will have a field day scouring the record for its copious Easter eggs.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 29 May 2026
Independent journalists, online sleuths and criminal case followers traveled from across the country to track developments on the missing child’s case.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
The Pentagon in May made public large swaths of UFO files with very little context, leaving curious sleuths to piece together their own interpretations.
—Krysta Fauria, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Unfortunately for would-be sleuths, the former flames were never very vocal about their relationship on social media.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 9 June 2026
How online sleuths impact reality TV The open secret of reality TV is that the producers control the narrative.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 1 June 2026
Last year, there were a few, most notably when online sleuths uncovered past racist clips and posts from two of the Islanders (they were both ultimately kicked off the show mid-season following fan backlash).
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026
Unsurprisingly, online sleuths had some thoughts.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 1 June 2026
That story appears in fragments across the album; sleuths will have a field day scouring the record for its copious Easter eggs.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 29 May 2026
Independent journalists, online sleuths and criminal case followers traveled from across the country to track developments on the missing child’s case.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleuths
Noun
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The investigation into the incident led detectives to determine that Johnson was the suspect.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
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The case went cold until 2022, when detectives linked Heuermann to a pickup truck that a witness reported seeing when one of the victims disappeared in 2010.—
Philip Marcelo,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
Noun
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In the final seconds before impact, investigators found Wilburn was attempting to avoid the collision but was unable to stop before the red light.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
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The commissioners plan to develop a five-year plan to phase in state funding, along with enforceable standards like caseload limits and access to defense investigators.—
Anat Rubin,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sleuths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleuths. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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